Dreams, microfibres and baloons

I was watching a kitchy tv show until later last night. So, after having a nice breakfast this morning and by virtue of this morning being Sunday, I found all things conspire to lull me into a good sleep. And it was a good sleep.

I dreamt that I was in a beautiful aircraft - shaped like a Zeppelin. The design was distinctly Steampunk. Opulent and spacious (yes, an aircraft with no economy class). There were multi-storeyed galleries along the sides with ornate railings. You could stand along one and see the empty centre lined with rib cages of the craft. Almost like watching a theatrical performance. I saw people standing, strolling and sitting on other stories - more like relaxing in a giant victorian club in a hollow Ellipse than flying in a cramped narrow cylinder.

And some of this may come true. Not the opulence of course, but the idea that a Zeppelin like aircraft could be used for air travel. There has been remarkable progress in technology since the days of baloons with direction being solely dictated by wind. Scientists have been doing research in super-tensile microfibres with learnings from the web spun by Spiders - one can weave a super-fabric capable of holding a volatile gas like helium without the dangers of ruptures and catching fire. Engine technology has progressed by leaps and bounds and multiple highly efficient smaller engines can be built to precision control the aircraft. By virtue of lightweight, it could be economically and environmentally lightweight too.

I've wanted to go to Turkey for a long time. The intriguing thing was that this aircraft in my dream belonged to Turkish Airlines. By the way, I love their new ad sporting Kevin Kostner.